Battle of the bottles

Last month, Ann Arbor City Council took a stand against bottled water, passing a resolution that banned the city from selling it at city-sponsored events. They cited the high quality of the city's own water, and the environmental stress caused by the bottling and transport of bottled water, as well as the disposal of empty bottles.
Then along come the Ann Arbor Art Fairs, where bottled water is de rigueur.

In addition to the many shoppers who tote their own bottled water, it's being sold at concession stands and even provided at some of the fair info booths. The Street Art Fair booth, for example, had cases of Busch's bottled water stacked at the ready for thirsty fairgoers.

Empty bottles are piling up in trash cans, recycle bins and the huge trash bins that dot the downtown landscape this week.

But the city isn't conceding defeat. Staffers have set up spigots and a metal trough along Liberty Street, in the nonprofit section, where city water flows for anyone who's got - well, a bottle to fill. By the way, you can also buy a bottle there, but this one is refillable. And it will cost you $4.